Your Maintenance Team

Empire Properties lays claim to a professional maintenance team that delivers quick responses to any maintenance issue. Each property will have its own maintenance manager overseeing it, and tenants will be informed of who their maintenance manager is prior to moving in.

Your maintenance manager will have a working history with your landlord and will have knowledge of what specific workers they prefer to use. They will also have history of the property’s maintenance and if anything has needed fixed in the past.

If you have a maintenance concern please call or email it into the office. Once this has been done, your maintenance manager will arrange that a tradesman visits to fix the problem. It’s your choice whether you personally arrange for the tradesman to visit, or whether they pick up keys from the office.

Maintenance FAQs

It is important that your property is well maintained throughout your tenancy. Depending on the situation, the Empire property maintenance team may be able to help. Here are some frequently asked questions:

White Meter Heating runs at Off Peak times. It is preset to activate between 11pm and Midnight and de-activates at approximately 7 / 8 am.

Switch on fuse switch in kitchen or at boiler (the light will not come on until it is activated at off-peak time) leave switched on at all times.

Switch on storage heaters individually at fuse points on wall.

Each storage heater will have two controls, Input and Output or Damper control. Input – amount of heat you want to store. Output – amount of heat you want to release. The heat is stored in the heater and can be released quickly or slowly. e.g. If output is left at setting 3 overnight the room should be warm in the morning. We would suggest that it is left at this setting during the day when you are out. In the evening switch up to a higher setting to release more heat when you are in the property. You should remember to put the setting back to 3 before going to bed.

If you wish any extra hot water, then switch the Boost switch on the panel, usually located in the kitchen.

Most boilers have instructions on the inside panel, follow these to relight the pilot light. Generally you need to hold in the reset button, keep pressed in for 10 secs and the light should stay on. If the boiler is still not operating then contact our Maintenance Dept.

The radiator may need to be bled. Buy a radiator key from a hardware shop and bleed the radiator- insert key to top end of radiator on triangular knob and turn slightly holding a cloth underneath- this will allow air to be released – STOP WHEN WATER BEGINS TO DRIP.

Inform the upstairs neighbour and ask that they arrange for a plumber to attend as soon as possible, as the leak is likely to be coming from their property. If you cannot make contact with the neighbour and the water ingress is becoming excessive contact Maintenance in the first instance and if we are closed contact Environmental Health who will send police to break into the property and turn off the water. THIS SHOULD ONLY BE DONE IN AN ABSOLUTE EMERGENCY. You MUST report any leaks to our Maintenance Dept so we can arrange for an inspection of any damage.
N.B In an emergency a plumber will merely turn off water at the mains they will not source the problem.

Check no water is running (i.e. bath/shower/taps) and all appliances are switched off. Locate the stop cock (usually located under sink or by utility meters) and turn off any water supply. Contact Maintenance in the first instance. If you cannot locate the stop cock and if we are closed contact an emergency plumber for advice or environmental health who will arrange to attend to turn off the water. THIS SHOULD ONLY BE DONE IN AN ABSOLUTE EMERGENCY.
N.B In an emergency a plumber will merely turn off water at the mains they will not source the problem.

Firstly establish whether the shower is electric or mains operated (if there is a cord or switch then it is probably electric – CHECK THIS IS ON ) If it is still not working please contact maintenance.

Do not overload your washing machine. This is the main reason why a lot of the washing machines break down and you may be charged for the repair. Bra underwires can also cause many problems…Contact maintenance.

Ventilate the property adequately! We know it can seem silly to open windows when you are trying to heat the property but windows MUST be kept open for a reasonable time throughout the day. The air must be allowed to circulate.

Mice are a common problem particularly in old tenement blocks. Try to locate where they are coming from and see if the entrance can be blocked up, buy some humane mice poison / traps and keep the property clean and tidy.

Blockages must be first attended to by the tenant by using a strong drain cleaner and/or plunger. If this does not fix the problem please call maintenance. If it is found that recent debris i.e. foodstuffs or hygiene items are the cause, you may be charged for this call out.

Unfortunately there is not much you can do to avoid or fix a frozen pipe.

To avoid frozen pipes we would recommend that you keep the whole property warm at all times although this does not always stop pipes freezing. If you have a frozen pipe then increase the heat within the room that the pipe is servicing.

The only way to thaw the pipes is to slowly heat them. Please do not heat any pipework directly as this will cause the pipe to crack. It is unfortunately generally a case of waiting for the temperature to increase.